Fuel Trial From Tebu, Will It Affect Sugar Production?

Sugarcane illustration (photo: dock. intermediate)

JAKARTA - Starting in early July, the Government will conduct a trial use of bioethanol made from sugar cane mixed with fuel oil (BBM).

Despite using sugar cane, the Director General of New Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation (Dirjen EBTKE) of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Dadan Kusdiana ensured that it would not interfere with domestic sugar production.

Dadan explained that the material used as the basic ingredient for bioethanol is molasses, an ingredient that is not used in the sugarcane production process into sugar.

"We don't convert sugar, we convert molases which are now not used for sugar either," Dadan told the media quoted on Tuesday, June 20.

Dadan added that if later his party develops a sugar cane factory, there will be a sugar factory and a special molases processing factory which will later be intended for industries including bioethanol materials.

"So if we develop a sugar cane factory, there will be a sugar factory and there are for molasses, the rest of it will be used for industry including bioethenol," continued Dadan.

Dadan further revealed that the preparation for the bioethenol trial had started in 2008 and had not yet been able to run due to economic problems. This bibiography began to run again after President Joko Widodo signed Presidential Regulation (Perpres) Number 40 of 2023.

"Because the president asked to run, the Presidential Decree has been signed. For that, hopefully in early July we can carry out (trials) for a limited area," continued Dadan.

Dadan said, for the initial stage, his party had prepared 100,000 KL bioethenol, but because it was still in the trial stage, it would start with 40,000 KL. Later, this bioethenol will be produced by two companies, namely PT Perkebunan Nusantara (PTPN) and one private company in Malang, Molina.

Regarding prices, Dadan said, it would not be much different from Pertamina's Pertamax fuel price, which is currently priced at IDR 12,400.

"How much is it now? Yes, it's the same as bioethenol," concluded Dadan.